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Looking for something to do this holiday weekend? See our picks for some fun local events.
Disgraced NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger gets 2nd chance at Indy 500
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — AJ Allmendinger’s parents attended their first Indianapolis 500 in 1979, when they camped in a grassy lot and watched Rick Mears win his first 500. Their son was born two years later — Greg Allmendinger named him after A.J.
Fast isn’t enough for defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Keselowski
CONCORD, N.C. — Defending series champion Brad Keselowski believes he’s still the fastest in Sprint Cup, even if his results four months into the season don’t bear that out. Keselowski is winless and seventh in points heading into the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night.
NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth is going full speed ahead this Sprint Cup season
CONCORD, N.C. - Matt Kenseth is ready to get back to work. Kenseth and his first-year team at Joe Gibbs Racing have had plenty to celebrate this season with a Sprint Cup-best three victories and seven top-10 finishes in 11 events. But he wasn't a factor in last week's all-star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and knows he's got some challenges to overcome before getting back to his winning ways
NASCAR expands its Hall of Fame families
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR honored members of its royal families with inductions into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Past champion Dale Jarrett joined father Ned in the hall while master mechanic Maurice “Chief” Petty became the fourth member of one of NASCAR’s most successful families to be honored. Maurice joins older brother, “King” Richard Petty; their father, championship driver Lee Petty; and cousin Dale Inman, Richard’s longtime crew chief,
Nomination can’t keep NASCAR track owner Bruton Smith quiet
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bruton Smith just can’t help himself sometimes. The eccentric track owner this week suggested he might move a race away from Charlotte Motor Speedway at the exact same time a committee is considering electing him into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. When the 54 voters cast their ballots Wednesday, it will be impossible to overlook Smith’s most recent headline-grabbing stunt. He told Charlotte television station WBTV on
NASCAR rigged its Sprint Cup All-Star race? Johnson'll take it
CONCORD, N.C. — It’s only fitting that Jimmie Johnson’s latest romp through the record books was shrouded in post-race controversy. What’s a Johnson win, after all, without a good conspiracy theory? The latest instance of black helicopters hovering over the Hendrick Motorsports team came in the closing laps of Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race after Johnson headed down pit road in the fourth position for the final stop. A speedy
Jimmie Johnson 4-peats as NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star champion
CONCORD, N.C. - Cross another milestone off of Jimmie Johnson's list. He stands alone in All-Star history. "Five-time" became the first four-time winner of NASCAR's annual All-Star race, breaking a tie with the late Dale Earnhardt and teammate Jeff Gordon on Saturday night. "To beat Jeff and Earnhardt, two guys that I have looked up to my whole life, two massive icons of our sport, this means the world to
Kyle Busch is ready if Kasey Kahne seeks revenge during NASCAR's All-Star race
CONCORD, N.C. - Kyle Busch holds a 3-0 advantage over Kasey Kahne this season and understands Kahne may be planning some retaliation. In fact, he jokingly told Kahne he was ready for revenge. "I just told Kasey, don't make it hurt too bad," Busch said. Nobody knows when - or if - Kahne will issue a payback for the three incidents he's had this season that all involved Busch. The
Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle found dead
CONCORD, N.C. — There is that lasting image of Dick Trickle in the Winston 500 lighting up a cigarette while driving his stock car with his knees during a caution lap. He places the cigarette through a hole he carved in his helmet for a quick toke and exhales. The green flag hits and out the window goes the cigarette butt and back to racing goes Trickle. “Dick always had
Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle found dead
CONCORD, N.C. — There is that lasting image of Dick Trickle in the Winston 500 lighting up a cigarette while driving his stock car with his knees during a caution lap. He places the cigarette through a hole he carved in his helmet for a quick toke and exhales. The green flag hits and out the window goes the cigarette butt and back to racing goes Trickle. “Dick always had
NASCAR season fairly drama-free for Kurt Busch
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kurt Busch started from the pole at Darlington Raceway and led 69 laps before his car began to fade. When it did, it triggered some of that salty language Busch is notorious for using on his in-car radio. But the worst of it was still tame by Busch's standards - something he's been working on this year. "Everything has been nice this year. Even though we've had
NASCAR season fairly drama-free for Kurt Busch
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kurt Busch started from the pole at Darlington Raceway and led 69 laps before his car began to fade. When it did, it triggered some of that salty language Busch is notorious for using on his in-car radio. But the worst of it was still tame by Busch's standards - something he's been working on this year. "Everything has been nice this year. Even though we've had
NASCAR's Matt Kenseth overcomes all obstacles to win at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. - Matt Kenseth has rarely been more pleased in victory than he was this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Maybe that's because of what he overcame to achieve the win. Kenseth has long been one of NASCAR's stars, a past champion with two Daytona 500 titles. But the 41-year-old has found a new gear in his first season at Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth passed JGR teammate Kyle Busch with
NASCAR's Jeff Gordon joins 700 club
DARLINGTON, S.C. - Jeff Gordon is proud he has reached 700 straight Sprint Cup starts. He's even prouder he has accomplished the feat while still near the top of the sport. The 41-year-old Gordon is third in series history with 87 wins, Gordon's landmark start comes at Darlington Raceway in the Southern 500, a place where he's won seven times. Gordon is 89 races from passing Ricky Rudd's record consecutive
Kenseth wins NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. - Matt Kenseth passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch with 13 laps to go to win his first Southern 500 on Saturday night. Busch had the strongest car for much of the race and led for 265 of the 367 laps at Darlington Raceway. But his machine appeared to fall away at the worst possible time and he faded to sixth. Denny Hamlin completed his first full
NASCAR notes: Hamlin plans to complete race at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. - Denny Hamlin doesn't have a contingency plan for Darlington Raceway. He has every intention of running the entire race. Hamlin turned 23 laps last week at Talladega before turning the car over to relief driver Brian Vickers. It was Hamlin's first race since suffering a compression fracture in a vertebra in his lower back. The March 24 injury cost him four races. Hamlin has no plans to
NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth pleased with appeal outcome heading to Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Matt Kenseth was in Canada when J.D. Gibbs sent him the results of their appeal to NASCAR to reduce sweeping penalties against Joe Gibbs Racing. “J.D. kept texting me and the texts just kept getting longer and longer,” Kenseth said Friday. “I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. They did what? They gave us that back?’ ” They sure did. Aside from crew chief Jason Ratcliff’s absence Friday at Darlington
NASCAR notes: Kurt Busch passes Indy test
INDIANAPOLIS - Kurt Busch wants to race an IndyCar at Indianapolis. Just not now. The 2004 Sprint Cup champion kept Ryan Hunter-Reay's primary car out of trouble Thursday, topping 218 mph on one of the world's most prestigious tracks. He became the first driver to pass this year's rookie test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, likely creating a rumor-filled month of May. "I really couldn't do it this year because of
Kenseth penalty appeal validated
CONCORD, N.C. — A NASCAR appeals panel sided with Joe Gibbs Racing on Wednesday and eased some of the penalties imposed for having an illegal part in Matt Kenseth’s race-winning engine at Kansas last month. NASCAR punished JGR after discovering during a post-race inspection that one of eight connecting rods in the engine at the April 21 race did not meet the minimum weight requirement. The part was too light
Penske gets partial win in appeal
CONCORD, N.C. — Penske Racing celebrated a small victory Tuesday when NASCAR’s chief appellate officer issued a mixed ruling on penalties levied against the team. Although most everything was upheld, suspensions for seven key employees were reduced from six points races to two. Team owner Roger Penske said he was “very happy with the outcome” following John Middlebrook’s decision. “All of us have lost points, six, eight, 10, 12 for
Busch seeking perfect finish at Darlington Raceway
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kurt Busch never stops hoping for the perfect finish at Darlington Raceway. It was 10 years ago that Busch came up an agonizing .002 seconds shy of victory to Ricky Craven at the track “Too Tough To Tame.” Busch said he’s seen replays of the final few laps of that 2003 race several times and each time wishes for a different outcome, that he noses out Craven
Commentary: Newman takes on NASCAR with TV tirade at Talladega
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Newman had to open his checkbook the last time he spoke out at Talladega. Fed up about the style of racing, he said in 2010 fans shouldn’t even bother to going to the track. He was punished with a secret fine that didn’t come to light for months, and the true amount has never been revealed by NASCAR or Newman. But it’s precedent that could again
1. Relatives say abuse preceded shootings
2. Virginia Tech closing in on ACC baseball tournament title tilt
3. Woman's body discovered by Botetourt County authorities Thursday evening
4. School lockdowns lifted; police seek robbery suspect in Vinton area
5. Police seek 2 male suspects in Roanoke CVS robbery
6. Planning board approves $14 million for Roanoke River Greenway
7. No one hurt in Thursday night crash on Bent Mountain Road
8. Ex-Salem volleyball coach accused of secretly filming girls faces more charges
9. Police looking for missing man
10. Body of missing Fries woman found Thursday in Grayson County
THE ROANOKE TIMES
